Windows Update (patches)

Yesterday I had to do a full factory recovery which brought my system (Win 7 Pro 64) back in time (Oct 2010) I am now faced with 152 Windows updates pending - I follow patch watch to the letter. Is there a productive way to know which patch is safe/needed or to be disgarded - (ie is there a master list?
Any help is appreciated

Install them all and don't worry about it especially if you haven't re-installed all your other programs yet. A fresh OS install without all your application programs is one that is least likely to have any problems with updates.

If you feel better about it install a few updates at a time making backups of the system after each successful install. That way you know you have a point to which you can easily return if a batch of updates fails. Once they are all successful then make a last system backup. Again, you have a point in time to which you can return if there is a serious problem with your other programs.

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Thanks for the insight Joe, I have almost finished with the master patch chart suggested by Kathleen and it looks like there may be a couple dozen that are not on the list - at that point I'll make the system backup and install the rest.

Originally Posted by JoeP517

Install them all and don't worry about it especially if you haven't re-installed all your other programs yet. A fresh OS install without all your application programs is one that is least likely to have any problems with updates.

If you feel better about it install a few updates at a time making backups of the system after each successful install. That way you know you have a point to which you can easily return if a batch of updates fails. Once they are all successful then make a last system backup. Again, you have a point in time to which you can return if there is a serious problem with your other programs.

That's why a factory reset is usually a last resort but I once read that it was advised to do one once a year to give it a clean out, but the amount of updates and the time they take tend to put you off.

That's why a factory reset is usually a last resort but I once read that it was advised to do one once a year to give it a clean out, but the amount of updates and the time they take tend to put you off.

That was a long time ago. Back in the Win 9x,ME days there was good reason to reinstall Windows. The initial versions of the registry were terrible about getting cleaned up and significantly affected machine performance as more & more junk was accumulated. Since then, Microsoft has continued to refine how the registry is maintained and accessed.

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That was a long time ago. Back in the Win 9x,ME days there was good reason to reinstall Windows. The initial versions of the registry were terrible about getting cleaned up and significantly affected machine performance as more & more junk was accumulated. Since then, Microsoft has continued to refine how the registry is maintained and accessed.

Joe

While it was about 3yrs or so when I read that article and don't know when it was dated, I still think that the occasional factory reset is beneficial because of the residue that is left over time through uninstalling the programs that we can do when just Windows is used to uninstall.

While it was about 3yrs or so when I read that article and don't know when it was dated, I still think that the occasional factory reset is beneficial because of the residue that is left over time through uninstalling the programs that we can do when just Windows is used to uninstall.

I am inclined to agree, however I hope it is a long time before it has to be done again. I have a Sony Vaio i7 running Win7 Pro (64bit) and would rather have a root canal than buy a new Win8 machine.

Joe
While it was about 3yrs or so when I read that article and don't know when it was dated, I still think that the occasional factory reset is beneficial because of the residue that is left over time through uninstalling the programs that we can do when just Windows is used to uninstall.

I've been running Windows 7 for over 4 years now with a combination of Windows uninstall and Revo uninstall and its still zippy. I feel no need to do a clean reinstall. I've seen a lot of old XP installs that I've repaired and they don't appear to need a clean reinstall either.

Unless you picked up a piece of malware that you couldn't completely eradicate and you have no prior image backup, I don't recommend the pain of a clean reinstall.

The last time I reinstalled my Windows XP Pro was about five years ago. Since then, perhaps once every year or two, I sense something isn't quite right, so I run the system file checker with the original software disc in the optical drive, and that seems to keep it running well.